Dark Times
by Pyro Blossom
Summary: Yugi has fallen back in time to the time where blood ran down the streets of Kyoto, the Bakumatsu. Will Yugi ever be able to survive this bloody time? Read to find out! Please R&R! Chapter 12 up.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:** Okay, this is Sheby here. For all of you people that are waiting for Mika to actually write another chapter for "Vanished" You'll e waiting for a while. That's why I came up with this. I got just as bored and decided to write my own little fanfic. I have no idea if Mika will later come into this but this is it for now.

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with either Yu-gi-oh oh Rurouni Kenshin

**Chapter One**

Yami looked up from the card that he just drew and smirked at his opponent. Bakura knew this look and winced back. This meant that he managed to get that card he needed to assure his victory. Finally, Yami spoke, "So, do you have any last words Bakura?"

Bakura first just scowled, but then he did something very unexpected. He smirked right on back to Yami. "As a matter of fact, I do." This especially surprised Yami. Bakura only had a high-leveled monster on the field with no magic or trap cards because he wiped them out the turn before. Bakura continued, "Well, it's obvious I'm not going to win this battle," this confused Yami even more, "but neither will you. No, it's not really a draw, but all I have to say about it is: time's not on your side."

"What do you mean by that?" Yami demanded.

Bakura's smirk grew as he said, "You'll find out soon enough."

"Well, the time now if for you to loose. First I sacrifice Beta the Magnet Warrior to summon Dark Magician Girl. Then, because my Dark Magician is in the graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl gets an added 500 attack points. Then I play the card Sword of Dark Destruction to raise her attack points by 400 more. Giving her a total of 2900 attack points, which is enough to wipe out your monster and the rest of your life points. Dark Magician Girl, ATTACK!"

The attack flew from the Dark Magician Girl's wand, hit the monster, and carried onward to Bakura. He only laughed and held out his arms to welcome the attack to him.

"Don't worry Pharaoh, I'll be back, but I can't be that sure about you." Bakura shouted to his opponent as the last of his life points shrank.

Off to the side Joey, Tristan, and Tea all cheered for Yami. Even Kaiba, who stood further off, was pleased with Yami. After all, you can't have you rival being beaten by someone as weak as Ryou Bakura.

Yami looked down at his friends with a relieved smile on his face. Then their cheering stopped as their eyes traveled to something behind Yami. He spun around to see what they were looking at. He saw nothing but shadow that covered over everything. Yami turned to run from it, but before he could get anywhere the shadow enclosed around him. He made a cried for his friends but there was no response. Is this what Bakura meant when he said time was not on his side? Yami had nothing that he could do about it. Was this going to be the end of him? He finally chose to do the only thing he could do, succumb to the darkness around him.

**Author Notes:** Well, there's Chapter one. I know it was short but trust me; the next one will be longer. I'd love to get Reviews from all of you. Be sure to state your opinion about the story. Plus I want to hear all of your ideas. Heck, I need those ideas to continue the story on. I'll read them all, consider them all, but I can't assure that all of them will get in the story. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and be sure to R&R.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** Okay then. I'm back with Chapter two now. Yay! Okay, things you need to know: When Yugi is talking to Yami; I will use apostrophes instead of quotation marks. I'll do the same thing if someone is thinking to himself or herself. So, just thought I'd let you know.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 2 

Yugi woke up with a weird look at his surroundings. I seemed to be deserted with nothing but trees, grass, and bushes around. He shook his head to try and clear his vision but it only gave him a headache. Then Yugi thought he should at least contact the spirit of the millennium puzzle to see what he knew about this.

'Yami, Yami, are you there?'

'I'm here Yugi. Are you unharmed?' the spirit answered to his hikari.

'Yeah, I'm fine, I just have a headache," Yugi responded. 'Hey, Yami, where are we? And what was that thing that shadow thing?'

Yami had o think about this for a while before e could answer. 'Well, by the looks of it, I think we're in a forest. I'm not sure which one though. After all, I'm not that familiar with this kind of land. And to answer you second question, I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of is that it's a transporter. Bakura must have transported us here in attempt to get rid of us. After all, I don't see any civilization around here. Bakura is probably trying to make us survive on our own with no one or nothing around,' Yami said trying to explain the best he could. Yugi nodded in agreement to the explanation.

Not too far off, a noise came. Yugi's head shot up. "What was that?" he asked to nobody in particular. He got a little suspicious so he inched his way to the sound. From some bushes Yugi looked out to a clearing. To his surprise he saw two men standing there. Both of them had blood dripping down them and to the ground. In the right hand of each, were swords that were also drenched with blood. The two were wearing an old Japanese outfit called a gi. Yugi tilted his head at this. Why would two people be battling it out to the death while wearing a pair of old clothing? He didn't get enough time to think it through. The two men lunged at each other and before Yugi knew it, one lay dead on the ground.

Yugi gasped and backed up trying to get away. This apparently was not the smartest thing to do. The bushes rustled as he tried to make his get away, catching the man's attention. Before Yugi could do anything there was a sword pointed right between his eyes. Yugi tried to back up away from it but the man just followed his every move.

"What are you doing here?" he man asked. "Who sent you?" Yugi couldn't think of any words to answer this. "If you don't speak, you'll die by my sword," the man threatened.

This terrified Yugi and he tried to come up with the best answer he could. "I-I didn't mean to h-harm you in any way. I-I just need to find my way back h-home," Yugi stammered.

"not a warrior eh? Well then, you're no use to me or this world," The man said raising his sword. "say goodbye." The man then brought his sword down with a great amount of force. There was a flash of red and a cuss from the killer. Yugi didn't feel dead so he opened his eyes to see what happened. From the looks of it, he was being carried away from the man. Yugi tried to see who it was that was carrying him away, but couldn't because of the position that he was being held in What he did see was long red hair that was tied in a high ponytail. Seeing That he couldn't get any more information than this, he turned back only to see the man chasing after. Yugi would have screamed but then he noticed how far away the man actually was. This person that was carrying Yugi must have been pretty fast to be outrunning this man. In seconds, Yugi couldn't even see the swordsman any longer.

There was a slide and he was then turned to face the inside of an old-fashioned house. A second slide came and Yugi was turned once more. He was then carried further into the house before he was carefully placed against a wall. His savior crouched down to his height and for the first time, Yugi was able to see the face.

The person that carried Yugi to safety happened to be a man. He had long red hair that was tied up high. This man was also not that much taller than Yugi. He wore the same outfit as he other two people that Yugi saw earlier today. At the belt of his gi were two swords, one longer than the other. Yugi's eyes stayed back to the man's face. His eyes were different from others; they were golden and almost Yugi flinch back in fear. He then saw a long vertical scar on his left cheek that went from about his cheekbone to his jawbone. The man then spoke.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I," Yugi stammered, not sure what to say. "I'm fine, thank you." Yugi then thought it rude to be talking to somebody he didn't even know. "Um, can I get your name?" Yugi asked as politely as he could.

The man looked away for a while, as if in thought. He then turned back to Yugi after coming to a conclusion in his head. "You may call me by the name of Kenshin Himura."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kenshin Himura. My name is Yugi Moto." Yugi's eyes traveled down to Kenshin's clothes. "Um, sorry, but why are you wearing such old clothing?"

"Old? Actually I got this not that long ago. My other one was shredded so it was necessary I got this." Kenshin replied to Yugi's question. He then noticed what Yugi was wearing. "What are you wearing? I've never seen anything like it."

Yugi looked down to see if he was still wearing his normal outfit. "Um, it's just my usual outfit." Then it hit him, "Where am I and what's going on?"

Kenshin wasn't sure what was up with this guy but answered anyway. "You're near Kyoto and the Bakumatsu is what's going on at the minuet." He then looked Yugi in the eye, "Where are you from and be specific."

'Yami, what do I say?' Yugi asked the spirit for help.

'Well, Yugi, I don't think that that Kenshin here has lied to you yet, so it's only fair to tell him the truth.'

'Okay,' Yugi then turned his attention back to Kenshin. "Well, I'm from a place called Domino City. I don't think you've heard of it though. From what I think, I may be from the future."

"The future? Well, that explains the clothes but how did you get here?" Kenshin asked not sure if he should believe Yugi or not. His ki didn't read to be lying but his story seemed pretty far-fetched.

Yugi thought about that for a while. "Time was not on my side, that's what Bakura meant," Yugi said to himself. "Well, I was in a duel monster battle with Bakura…"

"Whoa, wait, a what?" Kenshin asked interrupting.

"A duel monster battle. Here," Yugi said handing Kenshin his deck. Kenshin looked at the cards one by one as if he expected one to try and eat him. He was truly confused about what they were for but didn't let his confusion show on his face. "And this," Yugi continued, "is a duel disk. It makes those cards that you're holding, come to life as holograms."

"Holograms?" Kenshin asked as he handed back the duel deck.

"Oh, yeah, they're things that look real but are actually a trick on your eye caused by light," Yugi said explaining. "Your turn to answer. Why do you have two swords with you?"

"Because it's the Bakumatsu right now," Kenshin said but after getting a weird look from Yugi he thought to explain a little more. "The Bakumatsu: a war that is between the Ishin Shishi and the Shogunate. It takes place only here in Japan and so far it's one of the bloodiest wars in the history of Japan. Haven't you ever heard of it, if you really are from the future?"

Yugi nodded, "I remember that there were strong swordsmen in this war but that's it. I learned it a few years ago. Well, before I came here that is."

"That is correct. Now because of that, you might want to have the best way to protect yourself. I'm not the best of swordsmen and I won't be here all the time to protect you. This means you need to learn the way of the sword," Kenshin said to Yugi. He thought it best not to tell Yugi about him being the Hitokiri Battousai. After all, Kenshin didn't know much about him and it was always best to be cautious around these things.

"So," Yugi asked, "Are you going to be the one to teach me swordsmanship?"

"No, I have no time plus my style shall not be passed down."

"Then who will teach me?"

"Mm, I know of someone who is willing to teach anyone who will join the Ishin Shishi side. I'm sure you'll find him helpful."

"So, I'm on the Ishin Shishi side?"

"Only if you wish to be." Yugi nodded at this. "Okay, that means that you must look it. I'll be back. Don't leave this room," Kenshin commanded as he left. Yugi found this a great time to talk to Yami.

'Hey Yami, what do you think of this whole thing?' Yugi asked. 'Shouldn't we be trying to find a way to get back instead of studying the sword?'

'Well, Kenshin did save us so I think that's enough to believe in whatever he says. Then, if you really are in war, it would be best to learn the sword. That way you can protect yourself.'

'Then how are we ever going to get back to our time?'

'I don't know Yugi, I don't know.'

Just then, the door slid open once again. Yugi jumped not expecting it. He was relived to see that it was only Kenshin standing there. He looked down to see that Kenshin was carrying something. From the looks of it, it looked like the same clothing that he was wearing. Kenshin walked forward and handed the clothes to Yugi. He then spoke, "This is the Ishin Shishi outfit. It's all I have so I'm sorry if it doesn't fit. It's also a little torn so you might have a little trouble with that."

"Thanks," Yugi said taking the outfit from Kenshin. He slipped the clothes on and to his surprise he actually fit in it almost perfectly. He then went to show Kenshin and see what he thought of it.

Kenshin nodded, "You fit in a bit better now. Just the hair is weird." Yugi frowned at this; he knew that his hair would come up as a problem. "But then again, so is mine. The other thing is that triangle hanging around your neck."

Yugi's hand shot to the millennium puzzle. "This stays," he said more threatening than he meant to. Kenshin didn't seem to be fazed by it though.

"Alright. You'll be fine, though questions might be asked about that. Though now that I look again, you're missing something. Here," Kenshin said and pulled out the smaller of the two swords from his belt. He handed it to Yugi who took it very hesitantly. "It's a wakizashi. It was made mainly from defense. Only use it if you need to, but never leave it anywhere. Keep it with you at all times. Now, I need to go somewhere but you need to stay here while I'm gone. I was assigned to do something but got off track. So, if you value your life you will not leave this building." With that said, Kenshin left a scared Yugi alone in the house.

**Author's note:** Okay, there's you have chapter 2. I got it up in one day after the first. Surprising, I know. Well, some of you may actually know how to spell Yugi's last name. I surly don't. I tried to figure it out but I came up with a ton of names. I had stuff like Moto, Muto, Muoto, Motou, ect. I was freaking out so I just went with Moto. Sorry about that if it's wrong. As always read and review. Thanks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** Back again with chapter 3. Well, you might have noticed a few mistakes in the other two chapters and will probably continue noticing them. Well, I really stink at reading and Language Arts and that there explains everything.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 3 

Kaiba paced the floor in his room at Kaiba Corp. There had to be an explanation to what happened to Yugi. He wouldn't fall to think that there was such thing as ancient magic now." He went back to his computer to re-watch what happened, thanks to the video cameras set up all over the town. Kaiba just couldn't figure it out. First, Yugi's there, enjoying his victory and the next thing you know, he disappeared in a black shadow-like ball. This was just not making any sense.

Back where the duel took place, Tristan, Joey, and Tea searched everywhere for the tenth time. Joey was about to tear up anything that came in contact with his fist, Tristan was ready to give up, and Tea was almost in tears. They've been searching for hours but nothing came up. The closest thing they would have for a clue would have been Bakura, but he was long gone by now.

Tristan looked over at the other two and said, "I'm calling it a night. There's nothing here anyway."

Tea gave him a stern look. "Tristan, Yugi's our friend. We can't just abandon him."

"But there's nothing we can do. It's been a while now and not a clue has shown up. What else are we suppose to do? Wait for Yugi to come back? I doubt he'll be coming back anytime soon. Look, Tea, if you want to stay, you can, but I don't think you'll get anywhere."

Joey then joined in on the conversation; "I'm wit Tristan on this one. We woulda found somethin' by now anyway. Sorry Tea, but I'm leavin' as well."

Tea sighed knowing that this would be a battle she wouldn't win. "Alright, I guess you guys are right, but I'm still coming back each day." With that said she walked off with the others and back to home.

By the time Kenshin got back, Yugi had already explored the whole house. It was much different from his normal modern day houses. Yugi jumped at the sound of the door opening. After a quick check, he managed to see that it was indeed Kenshin. The only thing different about him was that he was splattered with blood. Yugi rushed over to him just in case he needed any help.

"Kenshin, are you alright? Let me help you," Yugi said. He felt that he could trust this guy. He did, after all, save him once already.

"I'm fine," Kenshin grumbled pushing Yugi away. "It's just blood anyway. I'm not injured."

"Oh, then what happened?" Yugi asked not sure what was going on.

"We're in the Bakumatsu, it's hard to go out and not get bloodied," Kenshin said as he looked down at his clothing. "Now come, I shall introduce you to Soku-san. He will be your kendo teacher. You will call him by the name Soku-sensei. There will only be a few days that you will need to go there. Soku-san is very busy. You will attend his classes two of the seven days a week. On the other five days, you will stay here, and only here."

"But, when do I get to go outside?"

"When you are going from here to there or there to here."

"But…"

"No buts. Now let's go," Kenshin ordered.

Yugi knew better than to argue so he followed close behind Kenshin. The view wasn't that bad during this time. Though he knew he wouldn't be able to see the outside that often, he couldn't help but wish that he could. They reached a small village and toward the back was a huge dojo. They continued walking that way until they reached the dojo itself. Kenshin opened the door to reveal an empty room. Kenshin sighed at this. "Soku-san, it's just me, Himura," Kenshin yelled to the dojo. This confused Yugi. Why would Kenshin be talking to someone who wasn't there?

"Ah, Himura-san, I had no idea it was you," said a man coming out of a hidden door. The man was tall but pretty old. His hair had grown white from age and had and had a small beard on the end of his chin. The outfit was the same as what Kenshin and Yugi was wearing. "It's been so long, I never thought I'd see you here again. What is it that brings you here?"

"I have someone that I need you to train," Kenshin said pushing Yugi forward. The man looked Yugi over a while, his eyes settled on his hair and millennium puzzle for a while.

"Hm, well, I guess I can help you. After all, you are the…" Kenshin pulling him away cut off Soku. This left Yugi confused once more and wondered what Soku was going to say.

"You are not to mention anything about me to this kid. Battousai is just a myth and I am nothing but an amateur swordsman. Do you understand?" Kenshin's eyes dared the man to say otherwise. Soku nodded his head quickly to show that he understood. Kenshin then turned and spoke to Yugi, "I'll be gone for a few days. I'm sure you'll be able to find yourself back home. Until I come back, you will listen to whatever Soku-san says. Now, if he says run, you run. If he says hide, you hide. If he tells you to jump off a cliff into a pile of swords, you do it." Yugi's eyes widened in fear at this and gave a quick glance to see if this might please Soku. Kenshin spoke once more, "but if he does, he'll have to deal with me." At that, he turned and glared at Soku who shivered in return.

"Don't worry Himura-san, he'll be fine with me."

"Good, now I'll be on my way. I should be back in about two days," Kenshin said as he turned and left.

Yugi looked up to see Soku sighing, as if in relief. The old man then turned and grabbed something off the wall. He tossed it to Yugi, who fumbled it but managed to hold on. He looked down to see a wooden sword in hand. 'I know what this is. It's a bokken. Yugi said now getting a good grip on it. 'It's a wooden sword and are more firm than the shinai. The only reason for that is because the shinai are hollow.'

Before Yami had anytime to talk back to Yugi Soku interrupted him. "First, I would like you to practice on a downward strike. Raise your sword up over your head, and then bring it down with all your force. Yugi did what he was told and continued through with the lessons. By the end of the lessons Yugi's arms were in so much pain that he could barley open the doors to leave.

'Wow, I'm sticking with dueling. The way of the sword is way to hard for me," Yami said.

'I know what you mean, but I'm sticking with it whether or not I like it. Kenshin didn't seem like he was kidding when he told us about the Bakumatsu, so if we want to survive we have to learn how to protect ourselves.' Yugi soon came upon a fork in the road. Both of the paths led into the forest and later disappeared. 'Now what am I suppose to do?'

'Um, take the right path. I may be wrong though. I don't know for sure.'

'Okay,' Yugi walked on the right path until it disappeared from under his feet. He looked around until he found a little opening not that far off. He walked off in that direction with his hopes up of him coming close to home. He soon stopped after hearing voices and realized that he had gone the wrong way. Once again, his curiosity had gotten the better of him so he inched forward and peeked over a bush. There he saw a whole group of men instead of just two and they all carried a weapon of some sort. They all wore a blue and white outfit with matching headbands. There was one that really caught Yugi's attention. He was sitting on a rock with his sword drawn and in hand. His black hair was all tied back in a ponytail below his headband. Only four things of hair fell down in front his face. Then, another man came forward and dared to speak to this man.

"Saitou-kun, you have permission to go to your next post now."

"Oh, good," said Saitou looking up from his sword. "I was wondering if you'd ever get here Okita-kun."

Okita smiled in an embarrassed kind of way, "Yes, well, we got a little held up."

"Battousai?" Saitou asked a little to eager. Okita shook his head with a little smile upon it. "What a shame. We haven't been able to fight Battousai in quite some time now. Well, I guess we'd best get going now." Saitou said getting up, sheathing his sword and putting it at his waist in the making.

"Oh, wait," Okita said to stop him. "Did you find yourself a spy yet?" Saitou shook his head causing Okita to sigh in disappointment. "Saitou-kun, you're the only one that doesn't have a spy for your group yet."

"Okita-kun, I'm the leader of the third Shinsengumi unit. Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Saitou said and walked away. Half of the group followed him out while the other half stayed with Okita. Yugi now found no more use of being here so he slowly walked away making sure not to make any noise. After re-tracing his steps and this time going on the left path, Yugi soon found his way home. It was empty, as he expected. He sighed and lied himself down on the floor from exhaustion.

'Well, that was quite and adventurous day,' Yugi said. 'Remind me to never again listen to your advice when it comes to directions again.'

'Yes, well,' Yami said, 'what's bugging me now is what they said. They apparently are a group called Shinsengumi and they need a spy for something.'

'Or spies,' Yugi added as he, too, recalled the conversation.

'Yes, or spies, but what really gets me is this Battousai person.'

'Yeah, I'd like to figure out who this Battousai is myself. He must be really good if that one guy was looking to battle him. Maybe someday I'll be able to meet Battousai face to face.'

'You'd best hope he's on our side then,' Yami said laughing at Yugi's eagerness. 'Well, you should get some sleep. After all, you had a long enough of a day already.'

'Yeah, some rest sounds great,' Yugi said as he walked over to a futon. 'Well, it's not my bed but it will have to do.' Yugi said as he climbed into the small bed and drifted off to sleep.

**Author notes: **Okay then, we now have Chapter 3 up and running. Great, huh? And it was up so much faster than Vanished. Well, nothing much left to say than, please read and review. I always look forward to hearing your comments.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:** Okay, well, as it says in our bio, Mika and I are now back in school. This will delay our stories a bit. So if you're waiting, I'm really sorry but it's hard to find some spare time. Well, here's chapter 4.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

**Chapter 4**

Yugi woke up the next morning alone. He was about to call for Grandpa but soon remembered that he was no longer here. Yugi sighed and started searching the house for something to eat. "I'm starving," Yugi said to nobody in particular. "Now, if I was some food, where would I be?" Yugi came upon the room that looked the most like a kitchen. He opened the cabinets in search of some food. To his surprise he found a very small amount of food. "How does Kenshin live?" Yugi asked himself after remembering how skinny Kenshin was. "Well, I'll just take one then. Kenshin looks like he'll need more than me." Yugi reached in a grabbed one little rice ball and munched on it while he wandered around the house. The boy managed to come across and empty room. It was much smaller than a regular dojo but it served its purpose. Toward the back of the room were a few bokkens and shinai on the wall. 'Well, Yami,' Yugi began, 'looks like it's your lucky day. You get to learn the way of the sword as well.'

'What? Why do I have to learn it?'

'What if something ever happened to me and you would be all that was left? You'd never be able survive without the right training.'

'But, I still…'

'No complaining! Now come on out here and start practicing. I'll be teaching you from the things that Soku-sensei taught me,' though hesitant, Yami came out and began his training.

"Just one more installation here and…" Kaiba said as his finger blurred across the keyboard. Kaiba looked up with a big grin upon his face. "…It's ready." Upon the screen were many complicated words that only a few people would be able to comprehend. Then, from behind him, Kaiba heard a small voice.

"Seto," Mokuba asked his big brother, "are you sure you want to do this?"

"Mokuba," Kaiba responded, "it's the only way to keep me from thinking that there actually is such nonsense as ancient magic. I doing this to prove something to myself, now will you go fire it up?"

Mokuba nodded and turned to the computer. Kaiba entered a solitary room and nodded his head to show that he was ready. "Okay Seto, on the count of three I'm going to pull the lever." Mokuba blurted into the microphone. "One, two… THREE!" Then, on three, he pulled on the lever that should have activated something in the room that Kaiba was in. It didn't do anything at first but soon a black shadow-like substance came up from behind Kaiba. What it did to Yugi, it now did to Kaiba. Kaiba was no longer sure if he wished to do this. He shouted to his brother to turn it off, but there was no response. The darkness didn't fade so either Mokuba didn't hear or it was too late.

Saitou Hajime, leader of the third Shinsengumi unit, sat at his post wishing for other things to do. Right now, he was just watching the grounds for any patriots, mainly Battousai. He soon heard a sound not that far off and he wasn't the only one that heard it either. The Shinsengumi were trained for these kinds of things so of course that it would not get past all of them but one. Saitou stood with his hand up telling everyone to be at ease while he went to go check it out. He walked further away from the clearing to only find a person lying in a patch of grass. The thing that bugged him was what the kid was wearing. It was big, white, and looked like it didn't belong here. From what he could tell from this boy was that he was not from around here.

Kaiba grunted as he sat up and instantly his hand shot to his head. It was throbbing and his vision wasn't doing any better, thus giving him a heard time focusing on the figure in front of him. Kaiba rubbed his eyes to fix his vision and as they cleared he was able to see that the figure happened to be a man. The man looked down at Kaiba with a glare upon his face. "Wh-who are you?" Kaiba asked the man, fear filled his voice.

"It's not your place to ask that," Saitou said as his hand drifted down to his sword. He didn't know what to think of this boy, or whether or not to trust him. He wore such strange clothing that he couldn't tell what side of the war he was on. Kaiba saw the man's hand resting on the hilt of his sword. After processing this through his mind he scrambled backward and stood up as fast as possible. "What is it that you're doing on Shinsengumi grounds?"

"I-I," Kaiba began but soon stopped himself. Why was he afraid of this man? Was it because of his sword? No, it couldn't be that. He was so use to looking at weapons so he could design the duel monsters. Was it how this guy looked? No, he's seen many more frightening looking men than this one. This man also looked a little confused. There was something about this man that was scaring Kaiba, but what was it?

"Well, spill it out!" Saitou barked, annoyed of waiting. This kid was confusing him. What was he pondering about?

Kaiba flinched, "What's a Shinsengumi?" he finally asked as he gathered his courage.

This confused Saitou even more. Who was this kid? Saitou has never met anyone that has never heard of the Shinsengumi. "You're not from around here are you?" Kaiba quickly shook his head in answer. "Then come with me," Saitou turned and walked the way he came from. Thinking it wise to do what this man says, Kaiba followed. He soon found himself in a clearing being stared at by a ton of man that all wore the same outfit. They came to a small hut and Saitou turned to open the door.

"Saitou-san," came the greeting of one man as they entered the building. At least now Kaiba now knew his name.

Saitou nodded and spoke, "I'll need a spare outfit." With that said the other man sprinted off not even giving Kaiba a glance. Saitou now turned on Kaiba who flinched in return. "You now know my name, what's yours?"

"Seto Kaiba, um, Saitou," Kaiba said starting to get use to this guy, but that didn't last.

Saitou glared down at Kaiba. He gulped as Saitou growled, "That's Saitou-san to you! I'm in lead of this group and if you wish to live, you'll obey what I say!"

"Yes, sir!" Kaiba said uneasily with a salute to Saitou. He knew this man could cause some heavy damage, so he chose to just stay on his good side. The man who had sprinted away had now returned. He handed Saitou the clothing and Saitou nodded his head in thanks. Saitou then jammed the clothing into Kaiba's arms. "You don't really expect me to wear this do you? After all, what I'm wearing is much better and…" Kaiba stopped after getting another death glare and soon ran off to change.

A few minuets later and Kaiba re-appeared in the same outfit as everyone else wore. "Now come, I must speak with you," Saitou said as he now left the building. Kaiba followed again, this time to a deserted place with no one around. "You are now part of the third Shinsengumi unit, I must learn what you are strongest in."

"Well, I, um, design holographs," Kaiba said with nothing else he could think up.

"What?" Saitou asked but shook it off. "Will this strength of yours be enough to protect you from my sword?" Kaiba's eyes widened in response making Saitou take it as a no. He then continued, "Well, what can you do to protect yourself from my sword?"

Kaiba thought about that for a while then came up with the only answer he could, "Run and hide."

Saitou rubbed his temples in thought. Then it hit him, the run and hide answer that Kaiba gave him. That's it! "How would you like to be the spy for the third Shinsengumi unit?"

"A spy? How will I ever protect myself if I get caught?"

"I'm sure that a few of my units can teach you a thing or two about the sword. Until you can get a hold of a katana, you can hold onto my wakizashi," Saitou said as he pulled out the smaller of the two swords at this waist. He handed it to Kaiba who soon put it at his own waist. It felt kind of good to have this kind of power at hand. "You should meet the others in the unit as well. Don't ask them to teach you the way of the sword; I'll handle that much. Welcome to the Shinsengumi spy Kaiba-kun," Saitou said as he went back to the group to keep watch.

**Author's note: **Well, Kaiba has now joined in on the story. I thought I'd just make it this way because Yugi's rival is Kaiba and Kenshin's rival is Saitou. Now Yugi's with Kenshin and Kaiba is with Saitou. What do you think? Well, that's chapter four for you. I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry if the story is delayed and be sure to read and review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** I'm going to have a goal of putting up a chapter each week. That's my goal and I hope I can stick to it. I'm sorry if I won't be able to accomplish this goal every once in a while. If that happens I'm either too busy or I'm off somewhere where I can't get on the computer. Thank you for bearing with me.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

**Chapter 5**

A week has passed and Kenshin has still not returned home. Yugi was really starting to worry about him. What kind of job is it that he has to be gone for five days more than planned? Today was one of his training days so he decided to ask Soku about it. Yugi dug around in the cupboard for something to eat before he lest for his training. He was getting real low on food and he would probably have to ask Soku for more. If only Kenshin didn't just leave him to figure out everything by himself.

Yugi made his way to the dojo. He entered only to have many eyes stare at him. "Oh, konnichiwa Yugi-chan. Class this is our newest member, Yugi Moto. Please treat him with respect."

"Konnichiwa Yugi-kun," the class said simultaneously. Yugi bowed respectively to the rest of the group. Their eyes kept wandering from his hair to the millennium puzzle and back to his hair again.

"Um, Soku-sensei, may I speak with you?" Yugi asked.

"Sure, the rest of you practice your head swings," Soku said and walked over to the other side of the room with Yugi. "Now, what is it you want?"

"Well, it's about Kenshin."

At the mention of Kenshin's name Soku tried to get out of this conversation as fast as he could, "Well, now's not a great time."

"Soku-sensei, please, Kenshin hasn't come back yet and I'm worried about him. What is he doing?"

"He hasn't come back yet? That is most definitely not like him."

"Why do you say that?"

Realizing what he just said he quickly answered with a, "Well, he's usually always on time." Yugi seemed to buy it.

"Well, what's his job? What is he doing that keeps him from coming home?"

"He's, uh," Soku said in thought. What was he suppose to say? Kenshin wouldn't be pleased if he told Yugi what his job is, but he didn't know what else to say. Though, if Kenshin's been gone this long he could be dead. "He'll tell you when he feels like it," Soku said with nothing else he could think of.

"But what if he's dead?" Yugi asked remembering the time when Kenshin told him that he was just an average swordsman.

"That's what I'm worried about," Soku said. Before Yugi had any time to respond Soku shooed him off to get train with the others.

Yugi looked around the room only to find that he was pretty much the oldest one here. Some of them looked just a few months or years younger where as others looked about ten years younger than him. One of them walked up to Yugi, he looked only to be about one or two years younger. "Konnichiwa Yugi-kun. I'm Mio Hashamaru, it's a pleasure to meet you," said the kid bowing. Yugi returned the bow then stood back up. "Um, I was just wondering if you could help me with my head swings. Soku-sensei seems to be busy right now and you looked oldest, next to Soku-sensei that is."

"I actually just started. I'm not sure if I'd be any help," Yugi said a little embarrassed.

"Wow, well, then we can help each other," Mio suggested. Yugi nodded in agreement and for the rest of the training session they practiced together.

Kaiba had almost spent a week over at the Shinsengumi grounds. He's been learning how to fight with swords but moreover he's been taught how to run and hide. He wasn't that pleased with it though. What Kaiba wanted was power, not how to hide. Though he wasn't fond with it, he had to admit he was getting much better at it. He use to always hide behind trees and bushes if he needed to, but now he knew that sometimes that was not the best way to go. It would be the shadows that are the most useful. His speed has also increased a little from the time that he got here. Kaiba could even spy on some of the lower class Shinsengumi's if he wanted to. None of this impressed Saitou though. Saitou's reply to everything Kaiba said was go back to work. For this, Kaiba barley got to see that man and yet he admired him so much. People in his own unit were scared if Saitou. Kaiba could relate when he was back in Domino City, so that's probably the reason Kaiba admires him so much.

Nothing much had happened at all today. It was just another ordinary day for Kaiba. He was listening to a member of the Shinsengumi rant on about how very good it is to listen when another member ran up. "We have intruders," the man said all out of breath, "Saitou-san's orders, come quick!" Kaiba's mentor stood and ran off with the other back to where everyone else was. Seeing it would be best to stick with the others, Kaiba ran off with them as well.

When Kaiba reached there he saw many men with weapons in hand. He too pulled out his weapon but knew he wouldn't be any help. Instead, he went to look for Saitou. When Kaiba came upon his leader he was disappointed to find that he had not yet drawn his sword. Here Kaiba was, all excited to see the man he admired in action, but Saitou was too busy giving off orders. Kaiba sheathed his wakizashi and went to stand by Saitou. He watched from a distance and was able to see the strength of the Shinsengumi. Within a half hour the battle ended and the Shinsengumi won. "Report!" Saitou shouted to the crowd as it started to calm down.

"Our enemies are all dead and only two of us have gone down," one of the members shouted form the crowd.

Kaiba shook. Death was involved? Sure he was given sword but he thought it was for defense, not to kill. What frightened him more was how coolly Saitou spoke of it. "Two of ours? What happened? You're all getting weak. If you thought a crowd like that was tough, you'll never stand five seconds against Battousai." Saitou turned and walked away wit Kaiba following behind. "You're trembling," Saitou said not even turning to look at him.

"Oh, well, it's just the death thing," Kaiba said, "I've never really seen one person kill another. Then you went and talked about it so casually."

Saitou sighed, "You really aren't from around here. Well, boy, I don't know where you came from, but you're now in Japan. Meaning, welcome to the Bakumatsu. Now I have some thing I must clean up. Get back to work," Saitou said and walked away.

"Bakumatsu?" Kaiba asked himself, "The Bakumatsu? If I'm in the Bakumatsu, that must mean I traveled back in time. No wonder everyone here is dressed like this and live in those weird houses. They aren't just crazy people that love the feel of history. They were in the history, or should I say are in history. Oh great," Kaiba said now understanding what he got himself into. He managed to land himself in the bloodiest time in history.

The rest of the lessons went by pretty fast for Yugi. He liked being able to work with others. It gave him a chance to learn things only the others knew. Yugi exited the building with Mio by his side. "Well, I go this way," Yugi said pointing in the direction of the forest.

"You're kidding right? Nobody lives over there. It's only markets and what not. You need food or what?" Mio asked in a confused manner.

"Now that you mention it…" Yugi said as his stomach growled. "But I have no money."

"What, are you a last minuet shopper? Here you can borrow some money," Mio said giving Yugi a few coins. "Well, I'll see you next lesson then, bye Yugi."

"See ya, Mio," Yugi called in return. He looked down at the coins Mio gave him How much did they add up to? Was this enough to buy some food? There was only one way to find out. Yugi walked over to a stand where a man was selling the rice balls Kenshin had. Yugi handed the man three coins and got ten rice balls in return. Yugi walked back to the house with the food in hand. He then made his way to the kitchen to put away the food. Once that chore was finished he was about to head for the training room to get Yami to work. Though there was something that stopped him.

A sound was heard throughout the building. It sounded like someone was talking. Yugi took out the wakizashi that he always kept at his side. Then, with the help of his curiosity, Yugi left the kitchen to follow the sound and find out what was going on.

When Yugi came to a certain room, it was clear to hear the person inside. "Please… Not her… Kill me…" these statements shocked Yugi. He opened the door to see who was there. Inside was Kenshin asleep on the ground with his back towards Yugi. Seeing nothing to worry about, Yugi sheathed his wakizashi. Though it was that very sound that seemed to alert Kenshin. "Who's there?" came the deadly voice of Kenshin's.

The voice brought fear to Yugi but he still spoke. "It's j-just me, Y-yugi."

"Yugi?" Kenshin asked and sat up to turn and look at him. "Ah yes, I remember now."

Yugi gasped. Once Kenshin turned around to look at him, Yugi saw that there was something different about him. On his left cheek there was now a horizontal slash across the other one. "Kenshin, what happened?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm sorry, I just got so busy that I had to stay an extra five days."

"Not that. I mean your cheek. What happened to it?"

Kenshin's eyes hardened, making Yugi regret that he ever asked the question. "Nothing, now get out," Kenshin growled as he pushed Yugi out and closed the door behind him.

'Jee, he's pushy,' Yugi thought as he walked away.

'Well, I'm guessing that's not a good topic to talk about,' Yami answered.

'Hmm.'

'Oh no you don't. Don't you dare bug him about it! You'll only get yourself killed.'

'Yeah, but I'll find out one way or another,' Yugi said to the spirit. 'It's time for your lessons. Let's go practice now.'

'Great,' Yami sighed as they headed to the training room.

**Author's note: **Okay, there you have chapter five. So far I'm on that week thing. Oh and for all you Kaiba fans out there. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that Sheby can't do Kaiba and is ruining him. Well, yeah, you're right but you also have to think that now Kaiba has someone that's stronger than him. Be sure to pound me with your comments on how bad I'm doing just so I can fix it. As always, please read and review. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note:** Ha! My goal was to type up Chapter six in one week and I did it! Booja! Well, just because I made it in exactly one week doesn't mean you can insult me about it. Though I will try to get the next one up a little faster. Stupid good for nothing homework.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

**Chapter 6**

The next day came much faster than Yugi had expected. He had so many questions to ask Kenshin. Yugi ran off only to find him sitting I the training room. "Kenshin?" Yugi asked to get his attention.

"Your presence is already noted," Kenshin said not even turning to look at him. "Now what is it that you need?"

"Well, it's about yesterday. You were crying for something or someone. Who was it?"

Kenshin's body tensed and Yugi could see it. "You are not to ask such questions. Now, if that is al you needed then I'll be sure to leave so you have a place to practice."

"No, wait," Yugi cried putting up a hand. "I don't even know who you are but I'm living in you house. Please tell me who you are." ((Author's note: He means stuff like what he likes and what he does etc. Not exactly his name))

Kenshin sighed and turned to Yugi. "I'm Kenshin Himura, and right now, I'm your guardian."

"But you don't look much older than me. How old are you anyway?"

"Eighteen, why?" Kenshin asked after his answer.

"See, I'm fifteen. How can you be my guardian when we're about the same age?" Yugi only wanted Kenshin to answer some of his questions.

"Why? Would you rather live out by yourself? I truly think that you'll last longer under my protection."

But, um, er," Yugi said trying to think of something to say back but couldn't. Kenshin had him beat.

"Now, if you wish to get better you should train more," Kenshin said as he walked to the door. "And if you somehow get better and better, I might just take you around to see Kyoto."

As soon as Kenshin left Yugi contacted Yami. 'Hey Yami, did you hear? Kenshin might take us around if we get better.'

'Yes, I heard. Are you excited abut it?'

'Very! All we get to see id this house, the dojo and the things on the way to the dojo.'

'Well, then we had better get training,' Yami said and came out of the body. He walked over to the wall to grab a sword to train with. Before he could pull it off the wall, though, the door swung open only to find Kenshin. Kenshin looked around the room as if looking for something or someone. "Kenshin, are you okay?" Yami asked which happened to be the wrong thing to do.

Being a hitokiri and training under Hiko, Kenshin had been able to study the ki around him. Apparently, Yugi's ki had changed and Kenshin noticed it. Kenshin heard Yami speak and narrowed his eyes at him. His voice was different, lower to be exact. "Who are you?" Kenshin asked this strange person in front of him. There was something about him that Kenshin didn't understand. He looked like Yugi, but didn't give off the same ki and his voice was different.

Yami didn't fully understand the question. Everyone that knew about him was told of him. This was the first time that someone actually asked who he was. "Kenshin, it's me, Yugi," Yami said at first.

Kenshin didn't buy this; if it were Yugi there wouldn't have been the changes that he noticed. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but he couldn't have a stranger wandering around his house. Kenshin flicked his sword a little way out of its sheath and Yami seemed to take notice. "I'll ask again, who are you?"

'Yugi, what should I do? He brought out his sword,' Yami asked turning to the one who knew Kenshin better.

'Let me talk to him,' Yugi replied and came out of the body.

Before Yugi had anytime to say anything, Kenshin looked up in confusion and asked, "Yugi?"

"So, you do know it's me?" Yugi asked thinking this was all a big joke.

"How do you do that? I only know how to move my ki, not how to change it completely."

"What are you talking about? What did I do?"

"When I came in you had a very different ki than you do now. Ki's vary between people and I've never met anyone who has the ability to make two. How do you do it?"

'Yami, switch with me. I want to test something,' Yami obeyed and came out of the body once more.

"Yes, that's it. Quite a strange thing indeed," Kenshin said while trying to figure it out.

'Yami, I know what he's doing,' Yugi said finally understanding. 'Apparently, you and I have different ki's and he can sense it. Now he thinks you're me and he also thinks that I can do something with my ki to make it as if there's two different people.'

'Then what should I do?' Yami asked.

'Tell him the truth.'

Yami turned his attention back to Kenshin and spoke. "Kenshin, Yugi and I are not the same person." Kenshin looked even more confused at this comment. Yami continued though, "See, my name is Yami. I share the same body as Yugi. I live most of my time in the millennium puzzle." At the mention of the millennium puzzle Yami held it up. Kenshin nodded saying that he now understood why Yugi was so intent on keeping it. "So, um, it's nice to meet you Kenshin."

"Wish I could say the same thing to you," Kenshin said. Before Yami had any time to respond to that Kenshin ran over, picked him up, and tossed him outside.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Yami asked flustered. He wasn't quite use to being thrown out of a house.

"I abhor having strangers in my house," Kenshin said with a glare at Yami.

Yugi came out of the puzzle to try and reason with Kenshin. "Kenshin, Yami won't cause any harm to anyone. Won't you please let us stay?"

"Oh, you can stay. I don't mind you in my house but I don't like that fact that you're bringing strangers in my house. I can't trust him." With that said, Kenshin turned back inside but left the door open for Yugi to come back in if he wished.

'What's up with him? I thought he would be pleased to meet you,' Yugi asked Yami.

'I don't know. Maybe it was something I said.'

'No, he said he can't trust you. He trusts me but why not you? Maybe there's something about you.'

'Or something may have happened to him to make him not want to trust anyone anymore.'

'That could be the reason why he was so late on coming back.'

'I don't know, but from what it looks like, I should best keep my distance from him for a while.'

'Yeah, I think that would be the best thing to do,' Yugi said to Yami. He then entered back into the house with only questions on his mind.

**Author's note: **Okay okay, so there you have chapter 6. I hope you liked it because I sure didn't. Kenshin seems like a bully now. Boo hoo, I hope you can forgive me to all of those who think I absolutely stink and being these characters. Well, Kaiba wasn't in this one but Kenshin now knows of Yami. That's got to count for something right? Well, sorry it's sorter than the others. I've just been so busy and all. As always read and review.

SHOUT OUT TO LARA CHUBB OF DEEPHOLLOW! Thanks you're like the only one that's reviewing my story. ((Mika and Sara don't count because I know them)) Man, I feel so bad that only one person likes it but I'm pleased to have at least one. ((Once again Mika and Sara don't count because I know they don't really like it.)) Thanks again!


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note:** Hm, I was writing this chapter and I was wondering. Why is it that Yugi and Kenshin are called by their first names while Kaiba and Saitou are called by their last? Why don't we all just call them Moto, Himura, Kaiba, and Saitou or Yugi, Kenshin, Seto, and Hajime?

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 7 

There was a buzz around the camp that something happened to Battousai. Saitou was pleased to find out that he wasn't dead. "Well, what is it?" Saitou asked a little more anxious than he should be.

"Actually, it's nothing of any importance," the man said to Saitou, "Battousai has just a difference in his appearance. He now has a cross on his left cheek instead of just a vertical slash."

"Hm, so now Battousai has a cross shaped scar on his left cheek along with his red hair? Very well, this information is greatly appreciated," Saito said and excused the man. He then turned to Kaiba who happened to be there at the time. "What is it you want?" Saitou asked rudely.

"Who is this Battousai you speak of?" Kaiba asked counteracting the question with one of his own.

"A man who, if you ever battle him, you'll never survive," Saitou said in a deadly tone, which made Kaiba shiver. "Now get back to work."

Though Kaiba is his regular self around the other Shinsengumi, he never acts the same around Saitou. It was just because of all that power that one man had. Kaiba shrugged it off and left to go back to work. Another member stopped him though. "Kaiba-san," Kaiba had been able to gain the respect of a few members of the Shinsengumi because of his attitude. "You've been asked to join a meeting," the man said.

"Where at?" Kaiba asked in his usual uncaring tone.

"Just at the small shire. You best hurry."

Kaiba took off in the direction. He entered to see nine other men in there. The man standing in the front of the group smiled and said, "Glad you could make it Kaiba-kun. Come, join us." Kaiba did what he was told though he didn't know any of these men. They were obviously from the Shinsengumi but he's never seen them around. "Ah, Kaiba-kun, you're the newest and I believe the last of the group. Welcome. We are the ten elite spies for the Shinsengumi. We each come from a different unit such as you are from the third. Now you all may be wondering why we are having this meeting. It's because there is a rumor that Battousai is around here somewhere." At the mention of the name Battousai the other members started to talk. "Yes, yes, calm down. Well, to continue, Battousai has been seen around here. It's our job as the elite spies to find out where he is. Everyone knows that right now he is the biggest threat to the Shinsengumi. If anyone finds anything of importance they are to report it directly to their unit leader. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Oh and one more thing. You all may know what he looks like but I've just been recently informed that he now wears a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. That's all that is different from him though. He still has his red hair and still stands at the same height. All that's different is his scar. If you find him, try your best to follow him but if he sees you we all will remember what brave acts you did to support the Shinsengumi. That's all I must say. Now, let us go find our Battousai and please our leaders," the man said and the whole group cheered. The small meeting finished and everyone went their separate paths to get back to their own unit. Kaiba had high hopes for finding Battousai. Saitou might actually respect him if he did this one thing.

Kenshin hadn't been leaving as often as Yugi would have expected. He always seemed to be careful around Yugi. It looked as if he was always making sure that it was truly Yugi instead of Yami. Yugi finally chose to try and end this. Yami was trustable and Yugi didn't know why Kenshin wouldn't trust him. Yugi went out to find Kenshin. "Kenshin? Kenshin where are you?"

"In here Yugi," Kenshin called back from the training room.

"Oh, there you are. Um, I just wanted to ask you a simple question."

"What is it?" Kenshin asked.

"Well, it's a matter of Yami." Kenshin snorted at the name of Yami. "I know you don't trust him, but I just want to know why. So, why is it that you don't trust Yami?"

"He's a complete stranger."

"So was I but you found it in your heart to trust me."

"Well, um, er," Kenshin said at a loss for words. "I just can't trust him."

"This has something to do with what happened while you were gone, right?" Yugi hit it right on. Kenshin was so shocked that he recoiled a bit. Yugi didn't let that go unnoticed so he nodded saying that he knew it. "Look Kenshin, whatever it is, you can tell me."

"No, I can't. I'll just say that I cannot trust anyone anymore."

"Kenshin, if someone did something to you, it doesn't mean that everyone else is the same way. You should learn to trust again."

Kenshin thought about this for a while then smiled at Yugi. "You're right. I shouldn't be like this. I have been acting very rude to your friend Yami. I hope he can find it in his heart to forgive me."

Yugi was silent for a while then smiled back at Kenshin. "Yami says that he forgives you."

"Now Yugi, you have just now proven yourself to be one of the strongest men out there in Japan. As I said before, I'll take you to see Kyoto. Now get ready, we shall leave soon." With that said, Kenshin left the room to get ready himself.

'Yami, did you hear that? Kenshin's going to take us to see Kyoto!' Yugi said with a great amount of enthusiasm. He's always wanted to see it but never go to go.

'Yes, I did, are you pleased?'

'You bet I am, I've been waiting for this ever since the first day here.'

'Yes, Kenshin isn't that bad of a guy.' By now, Yugi managed to tie on his shoes. He then ran off in search of Kenshin. He was found in his room messing with a piece of paper.

"Ah, Yugi, you're ready?" Kenshin asked. Yugi nodded his answer. "Alright then, shall we go?" Yugi nodded once more. He left the room but once Kenshin came out he was rubbing on the paper to his left cheek.

At this, questions formed for Yugi. "What's that for?"

"Um, oh, it's actually here to hide my scar. Nothing much about it." Kenshin said as if it was obvious.

"But why do you need to cover your scar? Nobody's going to recognize you from it, right?"

"Oh no, no, I just don't want people to stare at it. Well, if you're ready let's go," Kenshin said as if he wanted to get off the subject. Yugi didn't bother him about it anymore; he was too excited to stall the trip any longer. Then the two walked out of the house to go explore Kyoto.

Kaiba didn't want to wait any longer. He just had to go find this Battousai right away. He changed out of his outfit into something more casual. Then he ran off to the towns in Kyoto in search of this one man. While he was wandering around one town something caught his eye. It was two people walking side by side. They were both shorter than the average height too. The tall of the two was pointing out stuff to the other. He had long red hair that was tied in a high ponytail. The other looked a lot like, "Yugi?" Kaiba asked himself out loud. "What's he doing here? Oh, wait, he came here before me. But who's that man that he's with?" Kaiba asked some more while examining. "Saitou-san said that Battousai had red hair and a cross shaped scar on his left cheek. That man has red hair but I don't see a scar. Unless," Kaiba looked closer, "He's hiding it under that bandage." All of this got Kaiba excited. Now all he had to do was follow then and hope for the best.

"And over there's the…" Kenshin said during his touring but stopped. Someone was there and gave off an enemy aura. Kenshin looked around in search for the source. He turned his gaze to Kaiba who suddenly turned in his heals and stared walking in the other direction. Yugi looked up at Kenshin in confusion. He didn't want to interrupt anything that Kenshin was doing, so he didn't talk. Beside, Kenshin's scowl looked as if he didn't want to be bothered. "Yugi, do you know that man over there?" Kenshin asked.

Yugi looked over to where Kenshin was scowling. He saw the back of Kaiba's head shook his head. "No, the only people I know in this time are you, Soku-sensei and Mio-kun. I can't possibly know that man."

"Well, he seems as if he knows you," Kenshin said not taking his eyes off Kaiba.

"Huh? How do you…oh yeah," Yugi asked but then remembered Kenshin's ability to read other people's ki. "I'll be back," Yugi said and ran off to Kaiba. "Um, excuse me?" Kaiba kept walking as if nothing happened. This tome Yugi tapped his shoulder and asked excuse me once more. Kaiba once again kept on walking and ignoring Yugi. Now Yugi was getting a little irritated. "I said excused me," Yugi said and grabbed Kaiba's shoulder and spun him around. "Kaiba?"

"Hands off Yugi! What make you think that you can touch me?" Kaiba asked rudely.

"W-what are you doing here? How'd you get here?"

"That's none of your business. Now I'll be on my way."

"Do you have a place to stay? I mean, I can't really see you making any friends in this time to stay with."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing. I jus thought that you'd want to stay with Kenshin and me. That's all."

"What make you think…" Kaiba said about to burst but soon stopped himself. This could be his chance. This Kenshin could very well be the Battousai he was looking for. "Well, fine," Kaiba said while crossing his arms. "But just because I need a place to stay," he said adding that part in to make sure that Yugi didn't get ideas.

"Great, I'll go ask Kenshin," Yugi said and ran off. When he came to Kenshin he smiled and said, "You were right. I do know him."

"Okay, then shall we go?" Kenshin asked. He didn't like this guy. He didn't seem like the guy to hang out with and his ki gave off a little bit of something that seemed so familiar to him. That little bit of ki reminded him so much of his enemies.

"No, wait, Seto here needs a place to stay. He's all by himself. Can he stay with us?"

"Oh no, no way. There's just something about him."

"Well, I know that he can be a little crazy when he wants something, but he should be no harm. He'd most likely be only a danger to me and that's nothing to worry about. Come on Kenshin, you should try to trust him."

"I, um, oh fine. He can come along," Kenshin said with no pleasure in his voice.

"Oh thank you Kenshin. I'm sure that Kaiba will be very pleased." Yugi waved his hand in a motion for Kaiba to follow. Kaiba listened and the three of then made their way back home. Some of them more willing than others.

**Author Notes:** Hey look! A new reviewer. I feel so loved now. Well, there you have chapter 7. I know, it was really cheesy. The whole purpose of this chapter was to get Kenshin to trust and accidentally let an enemy into his home. Some of you are probably thinking, "Well, why would he need to learn to trust?" Well, truth be told, this is on my perspective. If I have someone betray me and I trusted them so much you would have the hardest time getting me to trust others. So, that's why I made it like that. Plus, if you haven't noticed, Kenshin is easily persuaded when it comes to people he cares for. So there you have chapter 7 be sure to read and review. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:** Noooo! I'm off of my goal. Well, I haven't really been working on it as much as I hoped but ah well. Hoping all of you that are reading this will post reviews. Welp, here's Chapter 8 for ya.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

**Chapter 8**

Yugi, Kaiba, and Kenshin all neared the house. Kenshin opened the door to let Kaiba and Yugi in. Though when Yugi came to enter behind Kaiba Kenshin stopped him. Yugi looked up at him in confusion, Kenshin motioned him away to further off. Kenshin and Yugi walked off but the Kenshin spoke. "Look, Yugi," Kenshin began, "I hope you can keep some things about me from this man."

"Like what? I don't see anything that you would need to hide from him."

"Just don't tell him of some things. Can you promise me that?" Kenshin asked and looked as if he was pleading.

You looked at Kenshin and saw that he was desperate. "Alright, what is it that you want me to keep from him?"

"Just my scar actually," Kenshin said and pointed to where his left cheek where his scar would be if not covered up.

"But why your scar?" Yugi asked innocently.

"Just because. Now can you promise me that?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good, now let us go back inside before your friend wonders what's going on."

Though Yugi wouldn't consider Kaiba his friend he agreed to go back in the house. When the two entered they saw Kaiba looking around the house. Well, looking is too nice of a word. He was more or less examining the entire house. Right now he was on the ground tapping the floor and listening for something of any sort. Yugi's voice startled him. "Um, Kaiba, what are you doing?"

Kaiba swiftly got up and looked over at the two that stood there in question. "Um, I was just getting use to the house."

"Right," Kenshin and Yugi said harmoniously in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, you two make yourself comfortable. I need to go out for a while. Just don't break anything and it would be safer if you stay inside. Though if you truly wish to go outside I will not make it a rule against you.," Kenshin said and left the house. Yugi smiled. Kenshin was getting better and better at learning to trust them. He was glad to have a friend like Kenshin.

Kaiba smirked as Kenshin left. He then turned his attention over to Yugi in pursuit of answers. "Hey, Yugi, what's up with Kenshin?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yugi asked in confusion.

"He wears a bandage on his left cheek. I was wondering why?"

Yugi didn't know what to say. Kenshin said to keep his scar a secret so Yugi was to respect that. Thus Yugi said the first thing that came to mind. "Bandage? What bandage? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yugi, what's he hiding?" Kaiba asked this time a little more forceful.

"Nothing. He just got a scab because I accidentally pushed him and he ran into a rock. Nothing else."

"Are you sure it isn't any scar of some sort?"

"No, of course not. Why would he have a scar?" Yugi said sounding as innocent as he could.

"Well, whatever, I'm going out. I probably won't come back though."

"Hm, why's that?"

"I can't stay with two losers. I don't know what I was thinking before," Kaiba said and exited the building. The truth was that he was headed to the Shinsengumi grounds. He had a few things that he wanted to report.

Once Kaiba got there the first thing he heard was, "Where the hell have you been?" Kaiba turned to see Saitou standing there with his arms crossed while glaring at Kaiba.

"I, um, went in search of Battousai, sir," Kaiba hastily said.

"Without my orders?" Saitou asked in a rude manor.

"Um, no sir, I went as one of the ten elite spies. I thought it was our job."

"Well, then what did you find and you had best found something. You never leave Shinsengumi grounds without my permission and come back empty handed."

Kaiba didn't know what to do. He wasn't even sure if Kenshin really was the Battousai that everyone's been ranting about. Kaiba thought it would be best to just repot what he got. "Sir, I went in search of this Battousai and found someone that I knew before. He was with a man that fit the description of this Battousai. Everything was there but the scar. On his left cheek was a bandage instead of a scar. When asked what was under it Yugi responded that Kenshin only had a scab. The I returned here."

At the name Kenshin, Saitou perked up. "What was that name you said?"

"Um, Yugi?"

"No, no, the other one."

"Oh, Kenshin."

"And he didn't sense you or anything? Are you really that good at hiding your ki?"

"Actually he saw me face to face. He even let me in his house."

"He let you in his house? Where is that? Why didn't he kill you? Does he trust you? Did you talk to him?" Saitou asked now going on rapid fire with questions.

Kaiba couldn't help but smirk at this. He found out what Saitou had wanted and was now in power. "Well," He began, "I never really talked to him but he sorta talked to me. Well, he really was telling to just Yugi and me that he would be gone for a while. I'm not sure if he trusted me though. He always gave me these weird looks and he probably didn't kill me because Yugi was there. Yes, he only let me in his house because Yugi asked him to let me in though. Truth be told, the house isn't that far off but if he hadn't brought us there I would never had found it." Kaiba concluded the answers to Saitou's questions and looked to see how Saitou would react.

Saitou was standing there grinning from ear to ear. He then turned his back to Kaiba and spoke. "You have a your job well. I expected that out of you. Good Job." Saitou walked off and out of sight. Kaiba rushed off to go get back in his Shinsengumi outfit when he heard Saitou in the background. "Members of the third Shinsengumi unit, through all of our efforts Battousai has been found. Tonight we shall strike and take Battousai down in the making." After Saitou's little speech many people cheered in excitement. Though Kaiba wasn't out there cheering with all the others he was sure grinning at his success.

Kenshin was making his was back home when he heard the cheering. "Hm, I wonder what's that all about?" He wondered to himself but just shrugged it off. He knew that he was living near the Shinsengumi because sometimes the best place to hide is right next to where you're hiding. The last place they would check would be on their own ground, so why not close to that? Kenshin was near home now but only sensed one ki and that was Yugi's. Kenshin entered the house and called to Yugi. "Hey Yugi, where's Kaiba."

Yugi popped his head out from around the corner. He was about to ask how he knew Kaiba was gone then remembered how mysterious Kenshin really was. "Um, he left. He said he probably won't come back either."

"He WHAT?" Kenshin burst out. Kenshin recalled a few things that he noticed from before. First was the part of ki that Kaiba gave off, that bit reminded him so much of the Shinsengumi. Then, when he and Yugi entered the house, they found Kaiba on the ground tapping the floor. Lastly, he heard cheering coming from the last spot that the Shinsengumi stayed. What if Kaiba was a part of the Shinsengumi and told them where he was staying? No, not what if, he is part of the Shinsengumi and told then where he was staying. "Yugi," Kenshin cried again, "Gather your stuff and be quick about it!"

"But why do…" Yugi asked with confusion.

"Just do it," Kenshin called and hurried him off.

Yugi was very confused now. How could Kaiba's leaving end up in making Yugi need to gather all his stuff? He entered the room where he stored all the stuff he had. He grabbed his old school clothes and put the duel disk with his deck on his arm. He also managed to grab a little bit of food that he stored before he ran off. He found Kenshin in the kitchen also storing up some food. "Kenshin, I have all of my stuff but why…" Yugi asked but got cut off yet again.

"I'll tell you latter," Kenshin said as he turned and made his way for the door. "For now we must leave. Now go!"

Yugi ran outside and waited for Kenshin to catch up. He was over closing the door then ran off himself. Yugi thought it would be best to follow Kenshin so he did so. Soon Kenshin stopped in the middle of the forest. "What's happening?"

"Latter! Here you can leave your stuff here for now. It's getting dark, something will probably happen soon. Now come, follow me, but be quiet about it." Kenshin walked off and Yugi followed obediently. They made their way back to the house. Kenshin and Yugi now sat in the brush nearby the house as they watched. "It should be anytime now…" Kenshin was right. In about two minuets, many Shinsengumi ki popped up out of nowhere. Then the group appeared with Saitou in front next to the boy Kenshin knew as Kaiba.

"So, this is it?" Saitou said examining that house. "Very clever indeed to be so close and yet so far." Saitou walked up to the house door and called, "Oh Battousai, I know you're in there. Won't you let me in?" There was no answer. "If you don't let me in, I'll let myself in." Still there was no response. Saitou now drew his blade. "I'm coming in," he warned before he slashed the door open. He walked in and was out of sight for a few minuets. When he came back outside his sword was once again sheathed and the man wore a smirk. "Looks like Battousai is not home. I guess I was too eager that I forgot how skilled Battousai really is. AH well, let's leave him something to say that we know that he's around. Burn down the house." At Saitou's last sentence all kindness erased from his face. He now looked dead serious and walk kill anyone that chose to oppose him. Some of the Shinsengumi lit their torches and threw them all at the house. In a few seconds the little hut was engulfed in flames. Kaiba felt guilty at the same time relieved. He wasn't even sure if Yugi was still alive.

Kenshin and Yugi watched from the sidelines as the place they called their home was destroyed. Kenshin paid more attention to Saitou than anything else though. While Yugi found this a great time to talk to Yami.

'Aw man, how could they do such a thing?' Yugi complained as he watched.

'Yugi, it's that name again,' Yami said recognizing it, 'Battousai'

'Yes, it seems familiar but from where?'

'That's it! Remember that one time after your first lesson? You were trying to find your way back here but got lost in the making.'

'That was your fault.'

'Yes, well, we ran into a group of people. '

'Hey! That one in the front looks like the one we saw!'

'Yes, that is correct, but do you remember what they were talking about?'

'Um, one told the other that he could go to a different post and that one asked what took so long. The other said that they got delayed.'

'And what did this one man hope that he was delayed for?'

'He was hoping that it was someone or something called Battousai.'

'And what is this man talking about?'

'He's searching the house for Battousai.'

'That would make you think that this Battousai lives here, right?'

'You don't mean to tell me…' Yugi asked as he looked toward Kenshin.

'Kenshin may very well be Battousai.'

**Author notes: **Ug, I've been bad, I didn't keep my goal. But this chapter is a little longer than the others so be happy. Well, at the end it really sounds like Yami's playing 20 questions with Yugi. I didn't really mean for that to happen. Well, I left with a cliffhanger just because you need one of those every one in a while. I hope you're enjoying it so far. As always read and review. Thanks.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note:** Hoo boy, I am now I got way off of my goal. Though my excuse will always be school. Though I am lazy as well. Oh well. Um, this chapter will be shorter than the others just because I'm having a major writers block at this time. Though I will try to make some things better in the other chapters.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 9 

"Kenshin may very well be Battousai."

As if on hearing his voice, Kenshin turned and looked at Yugi. Yugi flinched back thinking of how tough this man really could be. "What?" Kenshin asked after seeing Yugi flinch. "Well, whatever it is, it's time we leave. Any longer here and he'll sense us. Let's go," Kenshin said and ran off in the direction they came from.

Yugi watched him run off not sure if he should follow. If this man really was Battousai he could be killed in an instant, by guess. 'What are you doing?' Yami's voice rang throughout his head.

'I don't know what to do. You think he's Battousai and…'

'Look, he might be that guy but if you stay here you'll surely get killed. It's best if you follow Kenshin.'

'Right,' Yugi said and took off. He ran into Kenshin after only a few seconds of running. "What the?" he asked rubbing his head, "Oh, Kenshin, I thought you ran ahead."

"You, but then I didn't see you and I came to find you. Now come on."

The two of them ran off side by side. 'See, how bad can he be if he was coming back for you?'

'Guess you're right.' They kept running for a while. Kenshin stopped at the place where they last stopped. Kenshin looked around. "Are we safe?" Yugi asked out of concern.

"For now we are. We'll stay here for a while and if I sense any ki coming this way then we should leave." Kenshin took a next to a tree and closed his eyes as if out of exhaustion.

Yugi sighed and looked over at Kenshin. "Um, Kenshin?" Yugi asked. Kenshin grunted saying that he heard. "Um, are you…Battousai?"

At that question, Kenshin shot up and looked over to Yugi with a glare upon his face. "Who told you that? What makes you think that I'm that man?"

'Yugi, I'll take over from here,' Yami said. He sensed some danger and only wished to protect Yugi. Once out of the body Yami rose his hands and said, "Now, now Battousai, no need to be rough," thinking that Battousai was his real name and Kenshin was the alias.

"So, you're the one grinding this stuff into Yugi's head, Yami," Kenshin said as he walked slowly over to him.

"What are you talking about? I've just heard some things and I thought it would be best to tell Yugi," Yami said while backing away.

"Where did you hear these things?"

"I overheard that Saitou guy talking once. He mentioned your name a few time, that is, if Battousai is your real name."

"It's not!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"My name is not Battousai, it's Kenshin."

"How am I to trust you? You look as if you're about to slice my head off."

Kenshin sighed and sat himself down once more. That seemed to calm Yami down a little bit. He then turned and looked at Yami. "Look, I'm sorry. I shall tell you who this Battousai that you're hearing about is. You seem to want to know at least that much."

"What? You're not Battousai?" Yami asked as Yugi was thinking the same exact thing.

Kenshin only smiled. "You are probably wondering who this Battousai is and what he is like. Well, I am now here to tell you that. First, Battousai is said to be a man of great power. Though with that power he does cruel and stupid things. He is a murderer and kills all that crosses his path. Battousai is a monster and is a man that should not be trusted."

"Huh? Have you met this Battousai?"

"Yes, that I have. He truly is a deadly man. Only Saitou would enjoy a man like that. Saitou only wishes to battle the Battousai and prove that he and the Shinsengumi are the stronger and to bring victory to their side of the war. That is why he burned our house down. He was searching for Battousai to secure his victory."

"Oh, I see now," Yami said trying to understand.

"Yes, well, it's getting late. We should be heading off to bed now," Kenshin said and walked over to the tree to sit himself underneath it. "Good night, Yami and Yugi."

"Good night Kenshin," Yugi said as he once again took control of the body. Then the two of them drifted off to sleep.

**Author's note: **Oh man, and now comes the pounding of the comments. Dang, I'm really sorry for not being able to keep my goal. I know what all of you are thinking right now. You're all saying, "Sheby! How could you make us wait this long and then give us this short of a chapter?" Well, um, I didn't mean to alright? Personally, I probably won't be able to get my chapters up in a week from now on. It's just all of the work that I'm getting at school and all. Then because this chapter is so short is because of my major writers block. This chapter was to show you what Kenshin really thinks of himself when he thinks of the Battousai self. I hope I didn't disappoint you guys too much. Well, as always, read and review. Please don't hate me….


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note:** All right guess what? It's the next chapter! I know, I know, it's amazing isn't it? Well, that is for all of you that even care about this story. Blech, I'm so slow. I'm terribly sorry about that. I hope you guys can bear with me for a while. You see, I write everything down first but I never can find the time to write and whatnot. Why do I write it all down? It's because I like to and I'm not really allowed on the computer during the weekdays because of school and all. So, I'm very sorry for all of you that can actually like this.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 10 

The next morning Yugi awoke long after Kenshin. He looked around to see what his friend was doing but only found him keeping guard. "So, you're awake," the redhead spoke. His attention was not on Yugi but on his post. Kenshin wouldn't let his guard down just to say good morning. With men like Saitou and Kaiba around you couldn't be too careful.

"Um, yeah," Yugi said while stretching awake. He rubbed his eyes and looked around only to find trees. "Oh, yeah…" Yugi said as if just now recalling what happened. The tri-haired boy stood and now rubbed his back. "Wow, that has got to be the first time I've slept on the hard ground. I've always been in my bed on my mattress covered up by the sheets/ Then my head would have been rested atop a pillow instead of," Yugi looked back to see what he was sleeping on, "a rock." Kenshin took the time to look back and give Yugi a confused expression. What on Earth was this boy talking about? Yugi sighed, "But what I really miss are my friends. I wonder how they're doing. I hope I haven't scared them by disappearing like I did." Yugi then turned his attention back to his friend. "Who are your friends? I haven't seen you with anyone else. You do have friends don't you?"

"You are the only one I have. In war, men should avoid contact with others. Just look at what happened to our house," Kenshin said dryly. Yugi couldn't argue with him though; he knew it was true.

"Well, then you have to promise me that you'll make friends once this war is over. Do you promise?" Yugi asked harshly. He felt guilty that Kenshin was pretty much alone in this world.

"But Yugi…" Kenshin began. He didn't know how to end the sentence without dragging Battousai into it.

"Do you promise?"

Kenshin sighed but answered all the same. "Hai, I promise." He didn't know if he would be able to fulfill this promise though. Being the Battousai meant that he would be the target of many attacks.

Yugi seemed glad to hear those words come out of Kenshin's mouth. "Hey, I know," Yugi said with a giant smile upon his face, "I'll tell you about my friends. That way, you in the future might be able to meet them and become friends with them.

"Me? In the future? I wouldn't look like this would I?" Kenshin asked in confusion.

"No, I was just figuratively speaking. No, to your other question as well. Besides, if you wore something like that people would think of you as some kind of entertainment person."

"I see," Kenshin said looking down at his gi. Kenshin couldn't quite imagine himself in the clothing that Yugi was wearing when he first met him.

"Well, whatever," Yugi said, "First up is Joey." Yugi really wanted to tell Kenshin of his friends. They meant almost everything to him. Heck, Kenshin might even want to make some friends seeing how great they can really be. Kenshin nodded to show that he was paying attention and Yugi continued on with his story. "Okay, he's got to be one of the best duelists. I would even have trouble battling him. He has blonde hair and is really tall. He's carefree and never gives up. Though he can be very noisy and never knows when to stop, he's a good friend."

"So, you trust this Joey?" Kenshin asked.

"With my live!" This response startled Kenshin. This boy would trust his friend with his life? This Joey must have been quite and important person to him. "Then we have Tea. She's really nice and is always cheering us on. You just don't want to get on her bad side. She has short brown hair and is also taller than me. Tristan is next. He plays duel monsters as well just not as much as Joey and me. He then usually cheers us on with Tea. He's taller than me as well, and also has brown hair. Tristan has a temper as well so if you make him mad you might loose an eye." Yugi laughed remembering all of his friends. "The last one is Ryou. He's almost my size and has white hair. He's quite and we don't really see him that often. Ryou's actually the reason why I'm here. Well, his millennium spirit is more of the reason. Like I have Yami, he has Bakura."

"Ug, the future is so confusing," Kenshin said, "Though I'm glad that you have so many good friends. They must be glad to have you as a friend."

"Yeah, but they probably hate me for leaving."

Yugi was only partly right. Joey and Tristan were furious. They seemed to take it out on everything. Tea was worried though, she was not mad at all but only wished for his safety. What about Ryou? Who knows? He hasn't been seen since their match.

"That lil runt," Joey cried hitting a nearby wall. "Where'd he go? The least he coulda done was take us with."

Tea then spoke up, "I don't mind that he's gone. I just wish that he'll come back soon or send us a sign that he's alright."

"Yeah, well, we haven't seen any of that stuff now have we? He's been gone for almost a month and still nothing," Tristan said with anger in his voice.

The three were quite largely missing their friend. Kaiba on the other hand, was not. He's been training for quite some time after that incident. If Yugi were dead then Kaiba would just have to prove himself better then him. Though, if he was alive, it would be all the easier for Kaiba to defeat him. The next time the two saw each other would be their last. At least, that's what Kaiba thought. This would not be one subject that Kaiba would be loosing at. Yugi wouldn't win this time.

Yugi looked down to the ground feeling more homesick than ever. Kenshin happened to take note of this. Yugi had been so very kind to him and Kenshin had yet to repay him for that. Kenshin has only been lying to Yugi and endangering him. Kenshin sighed and spoke to his friend. "Yugi, it's alright if you're homesick. You have a reason to be," Kenshin said. "Right now you're probably missing all of your family and friends. They were kind to you and yet you got stuck leaving them. You probably feel guilty for maybe causing them pain." Yugi looked up in confusion. He just didn't understand how Kenshin could do all of this. Kenshin's only response was to give off a little laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not that great. You just have a lot of emotion to this one subject. None the less, I'll help you find your way back home. I don't wasn't you to be stuck here in war the rest of your life."

"But this war won't last forever. It can't be for the rest of my life," Yugi said simply.

Once again Kenshin gave him a little laugh. "Yes, but you're forgetting one very important part."

"Oh? What's that?" Yugi asked.

"We're in war." Yugi finally got it. Kenshin was right. This was war and Yugi could very well spend the rest of his life in it. Kenshin felt Yugi's fear arise. "Oh no, Yugi, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry," Kenshin said trying to comfort the youth.

Yugi was now in tears. He didn't realize how bad this could turn out now. Kenshin tried his best to calm him but he was just too new to it. Yugi fell over and cried in Kenshin's shoulder. "I-I don't want to die. I'm not e-even suppose to be here. I-I'm even b-born until years later. Plus, I-I don't want to leave my friends and g-grandpa." Kenshin was in a state of shock by the way Yugi was reacting. It was the first time that someone showed so much emotion to him. All he could do was hold him there and let him cry. "T-though, I would miss leaving you guys h-here as well. You, sensei, and Mio Hashamaru. You're all the closest I have to friends in this time. Are you alright?" Yugi asked looking up at Kenshin.

At the mention of Mio's name, Kenshin had indeed stiffened. Yugi had apparentally noticed and looked to see what the problem was. "You'll not be glad to hear this," Kenshin started not daring to look down at Yugi, "but your friend, Mio and his family, had been murdered." Yugi pulled away from the Kenshin that said that with no emotion. Tears ran down his face but the boy made no sound. Kenshin once again spoke at this time trying to show a little more sympathy. "Yugi, I'm sorry. They were killed by men from the Bakfu side. It was only that one family though. The other Ishin Shishi's were able to stop them in time. Come now, it will be alright."

"Yes, well, I guess that you're the only one left then. Sensei's always ranting on about how old he is and how he'll soon die." Yugi said with a struggled smile. He tried to lighten the atmosphere for Kenshin. Yugi was just wishing that he didn't make Kenshin sorry too much. It was bad enough that he was crying in front of him. Yugi wiped the tears away in his sleeve and sniffed his sorrow away. "I'm sorry, I'm acting foolish. I guess I just miss too many people. I shouldn't be like this, at least, not in front of you." Yugi already knew that Kenshin had made no friends, but what about family? Sure enough Kenshin had to have some family. "What about you? Do you miss your family?"

Kenshin looked down at the boy for a while as if trying to think of an answer. Though he came up with the simplest one. "No."

"No? Why not?"

"Well, if you're talking about parents it's a no," Kenshin said. He wouldn't want to discuss anything about Tomoe though. He just couldn't. "I have no siblings, so I couldn't miss them, and I never really knew my parents. How can you miss someone you don't even know?"

"I see…" Yugi mumbled looking to the ground. Was Kenshin really this lonely in his life? He grew up without family or friends, was that the reason why he was so mysterious? Yugi could only wonder.

"Yugi," Kenshin called. The boy heard his name and looked up. "You shouldn't mourn over someone like me. It's just not right. Instead, take this time to train. You have the wakizashi that I gave you, so you can train with that. I can't let you die without letting you have a go at it." Yugi gave Kenshin a look of shock at this. "Don't worry, I won't let you die. I'm just saying I won't let you go without putting up a fight. Now, run along." Yugi did as he was told. After all, it was better to be safe then sorry. Yugi would train so Kenshin wouldn't have to risk his life to save Yugi's. No, Yugi would be strong enough to save his own life.

**Author notes: **-cowers in fear- Okay now comes the time where I get pelted for making Yugi the way that he was in this chapter. Sorry once again for the delay. I just haven't had any interest of typing it right now. Took me a little over a week to type this whole chapter. Sad, I know. I'll tell you why I'm doing these kinds of chapters for those of you that like all action. It's for Kenshin's personality. You all know that Kenshin was an emotionless murderer. How did he get so caring and protective? That's where Yugi comes in. It is his job to help Kenshin become the Kenshin we all know and love in the future. And talking about the future… I'm thinking about doing a sequel. Tell me what you all think. Be sure to read and review as always.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note:** It's the moment you've all been waiting for. No, it's not that I updated, though that's an improvement as well, but besides that! This chapter is Saitou vs. Kenshin! And there's a little of Yugi vs. Kaiba as well. So, that means this chapter is a little longer, YAY! So, I guess I'll just shut up now…

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 11 

The next day, Seto Kaiba set off on a little walk. He was headed to the house that they burned not so long ago. For some reason he wanted to find a clue, any clue, about what happened to his rival. The boy came upon a burnt down spot and just stared at it for a while. What has he gotten himself into? There was the Shinsengumi and now look at what happened. Was Kaiba becoming a murderer? Kaiba shook it off and walked into the ruins. The ashes from the fire wiped up against his legs and chalked him black. He sighed as he kicked around some rubbish but still found nothing. After a while of looking around he gave up. If he found nothing now he would probably find nothing at all. Out of frustration he kicked a log that happed to be nearby. That poor little log flew from the reaction of his kick and landed in some bushes. With nothing better to do Kaiba watched it fly, but when he dropped his attention to the ground something caught his eye. He ran over to the bush that the log flew in and crouched down to look at the ground. From the house, the dirt only seemed to get softer and softer. So soft that to a point you could see foot prints, and that's just what Kaiba saw. The prints started just as the bush came up. If Kaiba hadn't kicked that log then he would never found this. Boy was he thankful. He straightened himself up and pushed through the bushes. Off he went following the footprints, as they got from very clear, to dim, to not there anymore. At this point Kaiba was lost. That was before he heard a swishing sound. His curiosity grew as to find out what it was, so now he followed his ears. When the boy came close enough to see what it was he was shocked at what he saw. Standing there was Yugi. The boy had come out once more to start his practice. Kaiba grew curios as to where Kenshin was but ignored it and grinned at his success.

Back at the Shinsengumi camp, Saitou was searching for Kaiba. Apparently, the leader wanted his spy to do some spying. Though Kaiba was nowhere to be found. Saitou searched frantically before one of the members mentioned that they saw the boy walk off in the direction of the burnt house. Of course Saitou was off in seconds. At least the boy was investigating what Saitou wanted him to, but when Saitou got there Kaiba was no longer in view. He looked around for a while before catching a hint of the boy's ki. He then was off trying to find his spy.

Kenshin was sitting at his post when he too caught onto Kaiba's ki. The redhead stood in fear for Yugi's safety. With that he was off to find where Kaiba actually was.

Yugi's ears perked us as he heard some twigs break. He looked behind him to see a smirking Kaiba. Yugi drew back as the boy just stood there with his arms crossed. "Kaiba," Yugi hissed seeing him.

"That's right. I'm glad to see you're not dead. That way I can kill you," Kaiba said and pulled out his own wakizashi.

Yugi stiffened his stance. Now was the time to actually take what he learned into action. "You've really become to attached to this time," Yugi growled.

'Be careful Yugi. I'd help but you're better at swords then I am,' Yami called.

'Right, time now is to prove that I can to do this. I can beat Kaiba,' the boy called beack in a very determined voice.

"Here we go!" Kaiba cried and leapt at Yugi. Yugi was shocked but block. Kaiba kept going with his attacks but none seemed to land a blow. Kaiba swung down and Yugi blocked up. The two faced each other at a cross, both pushing to get at each other. Sometimes the swords wavered to Kaiba where as other times it came at Yugi. "Be thankful," Kaiba spoke, "This is only a wakizashi."

The two jumped back from each other ceasing the strength contest. Yugi glared over at Kaiba as he glared right on back. Then the brown haired boy shot off in a run. Yugi wasn't expecting to see Kaiba be so fast so indeed he was shocked. Yugi rode his sword in attempt to block but Kaiba was just full of surprises. This time, instead of swinging, he came and threw with a thrust that managed to slice the side of Yugi. The tri-haired boy fell beck in pain. He dropped his wakizashi and fell back onto a tree. The pain was just too unbearable. He collapsed to the floor and clenched his side, which was now gushing with blood. Kaiba raised his sword for the final swing. Yugi would be out of his life once and for all. Though, when he brought his hands down, they were empty. Kaiba swiveled around to come face to face with the man he knew as Battousai. The man held the wakizashi in his left hand and gripped his own katana in the right.

Battousai glared down at Kaiba. "Now," he said, "you die." Kaiba clenched his eyes in fear as Kenshin's sword came to swipe this head off. There was a loud clang and then it grew silent. Kaiba slowly opened his eyes to find out that he was not dead. Instead, what he saw were two men with their swords crossed just as he and Yugi had been just moments ago. One of the two men was Kenshin and the other was none other then Saitou Hajime. Kaiba scrambled back and out of the way for this battle.

"You should have known better then to attack this weak spy of mine," Saitou growled. Kaiba probably would have said something about that if the man weren't holding a sword at the time. Who know what would happen?

"You should know better then to send your spy out here and harm my friend," Kenshin spat back.

"Friend?" Saitou laughed, "You have a friend? This is priceless. Who would have thought that the Battousai Himura would have a friend? I truly believe that you're the only hitokiri that has a friend now." The two held a conversation as they pushed at the swords. The weapons didn't even move because of how evenly matched their strengths were.

'Battousai Himura? Hitokiri?' Yugi asked in confusion. 'What's he talking about?'

'Well, maybe Kenshin really is Battousai. Either that, or Battousai is a name that people use to call their rivals,' Yami responded only trying to help in the best way he could. But he himself didn't even know too much about this whole thing.

'So, Kaiba could be Battousai Kaiba to me?' Yugi asked hoping this was true.

'Let's just hope so…'

After what seemed like an eternity, the two pulled away from each other. There was a huge gap between them now. Kenshin glared while Saitou smirked. "Well, it's kind of awkward. Who would have thought that THE Hitokiri Battousai would make any friends? The infamous Hitokiri Battousai that everyone wants to kill. I'm guessing that this kid doesn't even know you're Battousai." Kenshin cringed. "He DOESN'T? Oh dear, no wonder he'd still around you. If the boy did know he would probably be avoiding you, don't you think?"

Saitou looked up at Kenshin. In a flash though, Kenshin was no longer there. Saitou smirked knowing that the fight now started.

A sword came from above Saitou, then a cry. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Ryu Tsui Sen!" Saitou shot his blade up only just In time to block the one that was coming down. Once Kenshin's feet hit the ground he was once again off it. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Ryu Sho Sen!" Saitou once again blocked as the sword came to slice him in the neck. So far, no one was getting anywhere. In a few second there was that gap between the two.

'I don't think Battousai is a name for your rival anymore…' Yugi spoke as he watched in amazement and shock.

'Neither do I, Neither do I,' Yami said just as shocked as Yugi.

"Very good Battousai, but you're lacking. If you were really mad you would have at least landed one blow on me. What's the matter? Need the Gattotsu?" He mocked and rose to his stance. "Isshiki of the Gattotsu, think you can handle it?" the man asked but gave no time for a reply. Saitou ran off and lunged at Kenshin. The red-haired boy jumped out of the way. "Nishiki!" Saitou cried as he shot his left-handed thrust upward. It was too slow yet again. Kenshin used the trunk of the tree as a post and pushed off it only to land in yet another tree.

"What's the matter Saitou?" Kenshin asked this time it was his turn to mock the other. "I'm not even trying and you can't get me. How sad is that?"

Saitou regained his composure and looked up at Kenshin. He sheather his blade and walked over to the spot where they first crossed blades for this battle. Bending down, he picked up the wakizashi that Kaiba used. "Well," he said as he sheathed the wakizashi as well, "That makes two of us. Maybe this time we shouldn't hold back. You know, it will be a shame once I kill you. Who else will be here for me to mess with? How sad indeed," Saitou said and gave off a sigh to add to his statement.

Kenshin jumped down and sheathed his katana as well. Doing what Saitou did, Kenshin walked over to the place where Yugi dropped his wakizashi. "There, now we both have both of our weapons. You can't use that as an excuse for when it is I who kill you. Now get ready. This is a battle that I'm just itching to finish."

"Then why didn't you find me earlier? It would have been so much easier."

"Well," Kenshin said and got in his stance, "You know me." This stance was what he was famous for. The Battojutsu. An attack based mainly on speed. "Now come, and bring your fasted Gattotsu if you dare."

"Ho! That Battojutsu, it fits you. After all, that's where you got your name from." Pulling out his katana once more, Saitou fell into the stance that he was also famous for. "Fine, the Isshiki it is then. Get ready Battousai."

Bother Kaiba and Yugi stirred at this. Bother for different reasons though.

'Is this his power? So strong! So much power!' ran through Kaiba's head. He was pleased to actually see the man that he thought so highly of in action.

Yugi, on the other hand, had someone to talk to. 'Yami, something doesn't feel right.'

'You mean by just watching this?'

'Yes, to me it seems as if that's not Kenshin at all but someone else.'

'Like you and me?'

'In a way, though not too separated as we are. Like, it's a part of him.'

'Yes, I see what you're getting at,' Yami said as he too examined Kenshin during this standstill. He seemed deathly and frightening. There was something about him that wasn't quite Kenshin anymore.

The two swordsmen were now in a standstill. Battousai looked as though he was waiting while Saitou was thinking. How would he be able to counter all of this attack? What if he misses his chance? Will this be the end of him? Saitou cringed at these thought and straightened up his stance once more. Now, he too gave off a deadly and frightening look. Kaiba smiled at this look. He knew that Saitou was strong but he never knew that he was this strong. How exciting!

"Here I come Battousai!" Saitou cried as he ran off. In a second the man was up to Battousai. Leaning to the side a little, his left-handed thrust gained more momentum. Now if only he can land a blow quicker than Battousai.

God-like speed is what they called it. Battousai's Shisoku. Yugi and Kaiba heard the blade fly out of the sheath a while after they saw what they did. Blood. Kenshin managed to dodge the thrust by attacking Saitou faster then he could land a blow. If Saitou hadn't thought things through he would have only half a body left. Once out of the slicing range, Saitou's hand shot to his side in attempt to cease the pan. Kenshin glared down at his enemy while his sword was gripped tightly in his hand. Now pointing to the ground the blood slid off the blade as if mocking Saitou that he got hit.

"That was some quick thinking you did there," Kenshin said with unmoving eyes. "You were able to move in the same way that my katana did so you wouldn't deal as much damage. You really are one of the fast ones to be able to do such a thing. I congratulate you."

Saitou smirked at this. "Well, I'm glad to see that your Battojutsu lives up to its legend. You really are worth killing."

'Yami, we have to stop this fight. I don't want it to go on any longer. Make it stop!' Yugi cried for help.

'I don't want to watch this either, but how do you suggest we stop two killers?'

Yugi was a loss for this answer. Kaiba, too, looked stuck when it came to words. What was that? What just happened? Did Battousai even use his sword with that speed? Was it true that Saitou actually got hurt? Kaiba couldn't seem to comprehend. The man that he looked up to was actually weaker then this frail skinny boy? How could that be? The teen looked around in search for some answer. Anything would work. Just a sign. That's what he got as well. Saitou drew back into his Gattotsu position. Kaiba didn't know what he was getting at. Wasn't he injured? How could he keep this up?

"Battousai… Hitokiri Battousai. DIE BATTOUSAI!" Saitou shouted as he ran off again.

"NO!" Yugi cried out of pure instinct.

The cry didn't reach them though. Saitou came to came to land his thrust but Kenshin blocked with his sword. Once again, the standoff. Though this time was nothing to passive. With Saitou having a left-handed thrust that left his right hand open and ready. He pulled out the wakizashi that he now had with him. Smirking that he had the ability to use his left and right hands efficiently, he plunged. Diving his wakizashi for the heart. A spray of blood. Yugi's hands went to his mouth. He looked like a fish gasping for air while at the same time about to puke whatever he still had in him. Kaiba gasped and backed up in a tree. The man, the man killed Hitokiri Battousai?

**Author notes: **Woot! I left you guys off with a cliffhanger. Aren't I just the nicest person to ever live on this planet? Yeah well, I did this because I love to leave my readers hanging. It makes then want to read more… no matter how slow the idiot who's trying this is. Mooha! I'm probably going to get pelted for this one, or not at all. –shrugs- Keep this in mind. If you want to trample me, go ahead, just you have to review first. Lol. Well, as always, read and review! Oh and I must give a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thanks to all of you!

And yeah yeah. I knew this took forever. By the way, Happy Holidays!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note:** Wow, well, I'm glad to tell you that I'm trying to update a little faster then I have been. I know you all just love me for that reason. Here's chapter twelve for you. Don't worry, it will explain a little from my last chapter. For all of you that are confused about my actions, you'll find out sooner or later.

Disclaimer:I don't own anything Rurouni Kenshin or Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 12 

Saitou Hajime of the third Shinsengumi unit now stood in front of a fallen hitokiri smirking. "You weren't too bad of an opponent. It's sort of sad really. I thought that you would be more difficult through all the rumors and what I saw from you at least. How sad indeed."

Yugi shivered as he watched the two. Saitou was just bragging now. What was so great about this? A tear ran down his face. "Ken… Kenshin… Kenshin…" he whispered. Though that was enough to catch Saitou's attention. The man turned to face Yugi now, fully aware of the boy.

"I can't believe that I forgot about you. Now, I guess you'll be getting the same treatment as Battousai." Saitou threw his wakizashi over to Kaiba. Kaiba looked down at it stunned as if trying to figure out what to do. "There, you kill him. I've done my share now it's your turn." Kaiba's eyes grew wide at this information. Sure he said that he would kill Yugi but did he really mean it? But how could you say no to a man like that? Kaiba just stared down shocked at the weapon in front of him. "Pfh, fine if you won't do it I will." Saitou raised his bloody sword once more. As the man strolled over to the boy to assure his death Yugi kept crying softly for Kenshin.

"He's dead now," Saitou said coldly and lifted his sword higher to get a good amount of damage in. "You shouldn't put so much faith in the weaklings. Now you shall receive the same treatment as him, any last words?"

Yugi looked up with fear in his eyes. Then the purple orbs wandered a way from Saitou's grim face to something behind him. "Kenshin?" Yugi asked as his apparent last words.

Saitou smirked at this. "So, you choose to look at his corpse for a last reminder. Fair enough." The man was about to strike but before he could do anything a sound came from behind him. If you valued your life it would be wise to check what it was before it attacked you so that's exactly what he did. "Are… are you immortal?" was his choice of words for what he saw. For what he saw was Kenshin. Not on the ground pretty much dead but actually standing and trying to revive himself.

"Sadly, no," the redhead said holding a spot on his chest.

"Then how? How are you still alive? I hit you down. I'm sure of it." Saitou was angry and confused at the same time right now. Confused because he saw this man up and angry that he couldn't finish him.

Kenshin gasped in pain as he coughed up some blood. "Feh," he grumbled as he looked himself over. He obviously wasn't the best looking he could be. "It was just a quick turn to the side. Thankfully, Yugi here was able to distract you long enough for me to recover a little from the damage. If he didn't do that you surely would have noticed something. Though you missed the heart you managed to damage me. There would be no way for me to continue if you had noticed something. So thank you Yugi." The younger boy could only nod his head.

Saitou, not pleased by any of this, glared at Kenshin to Yugi then back to Kenshin. He gripped his katana tightly in one hand while he clenched and unclenched his other. It was a kind of method used to calm a person down. Saitou finally turned his attention toward Yugi and glowered at the boy. "Right, so you're the reason why Battousai isn't dead yet. Without you he wouldn't be gone." These words caught Kenshin's attention. Saitou was up to something and that something was not a good thing. "With you gone, victory is MINE!" Saitou called as he started to thrust. Kenshin knew that was coming though and made his way over there before Saitou could do anything. Battousai swung to be rid of Saitou once and for all but once came in contact with his blade. "Don't think I forgot about you, Battousai. I'm not too dimwitted." With that said, Saitou landed a punch on Kenshin where he was already injured. "That injury should hold you for a while, while I finish up some work." Saitou turned back to Yugi after for sure seeing Kenshin kneeling on the ground holding his wound.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Hi-ryu Sen," came Kenshin's quiet voice. A sharp pain in the back of Saitou's neck suddenly sprung forth. The sound of a sword hitting that ground came to everyone's ears. Kenshin sat there holding his wakizashi's sheath in his left hand, but the sword was missing. The only one who actually saw what happened was Kaiba who just kept getting more and more shocked. Now glaring up at Saitou, Kenshin spoke in a deadly tone. "Never hurt my friends." As if those words were words that revived, Kenshin was standing on both feet now. Short Paralysis is what Saitou was in right now. Kenshin managed to hit a vital point in the back of Saitou's neck that caused this. Finding this the greatest time to finish Saitou Kenshin now trusted with all his might. Not quick enough though. The paralysis wore off quickly and Saitou managed to duck only to get the thrust through his left shoulder. "Feh, you're a lucky man. But with that wound you can't use your gattotsu for a while. Now it's time for you to die." Saitou turned knowing it was his defeat. He could use his right arm but it was a left-handed thrust and he specialized in no others. Besides, his body was getting to weak to run either.

"No!" Yugi called. He was scared to death but nonetheless there he was calling for this all to stop. All three of the other men turned their attention over to him. "Don't kill him. Just don't do it." Yugi whimpered.

Kenshin sighed and lowered his sword to his side. A small laugh came up at this though. It was Saitou. "Battousai, this is our first time battling and you want us to end it here? Sure we fought as group against group but this time it was just you and I. I'm disappointed."

"No, you're forgetting Yugi," Kenshin said mentioning the other one that was in on this battle.

"Yes, you're right. I guess he saved both of our hides. But this isn't at all I expected from a hitokiri, Hitokiri Battousai most of all. You're too soft to be that man."

"Maybe so. Now take your spy and go back to your group.

"You do know I will come back for you if you let me live don't you?"

"Yes, but I've seen what you can do now. Don't think so highly of the fact you would have won is Yugi wasn't here. For now I'm ready."

"Ah, but it worked the same way for me as well. Until next time Battousai," Saitou said and turned to face Kaiba. "Come boy and bring that sword with you. We're done here." Kaiba scrambled up and picked up the sword as well. With that he ran after the injured Saitou. The two left from there and headed back to their own group to heal themselves and to return another day.

Yugi looked up at Kenshin and was about to speak but couldn't after seeing the other man's face. Shocked at what he saw, Yugi ran over to him to check if he was still alive. He sure was but now just unconscious. Sighing with relief Yugi attempted to move the man from this place. After seeing his distant face he didn't know what to expect. Plus, when Yugi managed to hold the man e found the redhead not as heavy as he expected. Yugi first brought Kenshin back to the plain spot in the forest where everything was. The youth saw his old clothes along with his duel disk propped up against a tree. He took his pants and rolled then up to give Kenshin a pillow and he used his shirt to cover the wound. Last the jacket was used to keep Kenshin warm. With all that done, Yugi went and recovered the items, such as the wakizashi that was left behind. Once the boy returned he propped himself on a rock to watch over his friend. His mind now swirled with thought about the past few minuets.

/Well, that was weird enough/ Yami's voice came after seeing everything was done now. /what are you going to do about this whole Battousai thing now/

/Huh? Well, I don't know. I guess I don't really know the real Kenshin, now do I/ Yugi sighed//If only I can get him to tell me a little more./

/Either that or you could read up about him…/

/how do you propose we do that then? I doubt anyone knows enough about him to even write about him. Our time, sure, but in the Bakumatsu? Yeah right./

/Well, that's sorta what I meant./

/what? What are you talking about now Yami/

/It was during the battle so I didn't want to bother you, but I sort of got contacted through the millennium puzzle./

/Really? Are you serious? From whom? From what time/

/Yes yes, it was actually Ryou. He somehow found a way to talk to us through the millennium items. Said he was working on it ever since both Kaiba and you went missing. He wished to talk to you but you were a little occupied with that Saitou guy at the moment. So, I told him we were in the Bakumatsu and asked him to research Battousai for us./

/That's all? He doesn't know how to get us back/

/Well, we couldn't talk very long. The connection was horrible, but what do you expect through that many years/

/I guess you're right. Yami, do you mind taking control for a while? I really need rest but don't want to take my eyes off of Kenshin./

/Sure thing. You've been through a lot today. Good night, Yugi/ Yami called before the puzzle flashed and there was Yami sitting there instead of Yugi. "Quite a lot," the spirit said to himself as he looked down at the sleeping Kenshin.

**Author notes: **Well, not what you expected eh? I know I know, it's shorter but I can't think of things at the moment. Actually I've never been able to think over things but oh well. Oh hey, just for you Kagura2005, we have Bakura back in the story. Well, more of Ryou then Bakura but in my world they're pretty much all the same…. Okay they aren't but who cares. Plutobaby494 asks how Yugi is going to take Kenshin being Battousai. Well, you'll just have to read to find out now won't you? Because, well, Yugi doesn't really know too much about Battousai and I don't know what to tell you.


End file.
